Scientific advances at our Research Center crucially depend on specialized computer-controlled experimental facilities for auditory research that are powerful and flexible enough to allow the efficient implementation of new paradigms. A major role of the Engineering Core is to design and maintain such specialized data-acquisition systems (Aim 1). This complex task involves selecting commercial instruments that are compatible with each other, installing these instruments, writing special software allowing them to be flexibly controlled by users, maintaining them, and upgrading them. Core Engineers also design and build electronic, acoustic and mechanical devices that are not commercially available (e.g. acoustic systems) to meet the constantly evolving requirements of experiments (Aim 2). Our diverse scientific needs require using several computer platforms (Macintosh, Windows and UNIX) inter-connected by a "Core Network 7" which insures highly reliable intra-laboratory communication. Continuing engineering effort is needed (Aim 3) to maintain the high reliability of this multi-platform network, reliability that is necessary for our networked data acquisition systems, and to meet new computational and data-storage challenges arising from the increasing use of gene chips, imaging and multi-electrode neural recordings. The function of the Engineering Core is to facilitate both current research projects and new initiatives by taking advantage of emerging and mature technologies. The Engineering Core makes it possible for individual investigators to use sophisticated (or simply complicated) techniques that they would otherwise not be able to develop or use. By providing shared experimental facilities, the Engineering Core also encourages collaborative projects among the investigators using these facilities. Finally, the Engineering Core makes the scientific research of the Center more efficient by relieving investigators from many routine housekeeping computer tasks, and by allowing the same custom designs to be re-utilized in multiple setups. In short, the Engineering Core increases the quantity and quality of the Center's scientific output, allowing us to better attack new issues in hearing and deafness.